The Red Roses
by MinervaFirenze
Summary: Okies people, this is another l/j by Firenze, I'm sorry, I have to get it out of my system. It's a song fic for the first part and is completed. Ot


Short Lilly and James fic, it's a post hogwarts, Lilly had been dating James in their seventh year and he broke up with her the day they left.  She and her two best friends, one muggle, who knows about wizards, and one witch, who has muggle parents, have started a band that is both muggle and wizard, they perform for both groups.  Confused yet?  Anyway, they are performing for a night club and guess who shows up?  Our favorite Quidditch player, Prongs!   On with the story!

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     Lily, Sara and Molly were excited for their next performance.  They had been asked to sing at the wizard nightclub, the Squeaky Handle, the night before.  The girls' band, the Red Roses, had been successful and they were popular in the muggle and wizarding world.  Tonight they had a new song that they had practiced, 'Still Holding Out for You', and they all really like that song.  Shedasiy was one of their favorite bands, so they liked to sing some of their songs.  They laughed at one of Sara's jokes as they got off the Knight bus and into the club.  They hadn't been to the Squeaky Handle for a long time.  They went to the back bathroom and began to get everything ready.  They had an hour until they started, but people had already begin to trickle in and take seats.  They applied their make up and charmed their hair, Lily did Molly's hair because she was muggle.

     Finally the time came and they heard the announcer say their name.  They walked out to thunderous applause, smiling.  Molly sat down at the drums, Sara picked up a guitar and Lily stood in front of the keyboard.  They looked at each other and began the count.  1-2-3-4, Bum.  Molly did a solo on the drums for the introduction for their first song.  Then the next song went by, and the next, and the next… the girls were really putting their heart and soul into their music and the crowd was having a blast.  Just as they got to the new song, Lily spotted a familiar figure in the back row.

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     James Potter had been lured to this concert by the fact they were girls newly graduated from Hogwarts.  One had been in Gryfindor, another in Ravenclaw and one muggle and James might have known them.

     So now he sat in the back of the room staring at nothing, when three stunning girls come up to the stage.  He sat there, shocked in many ways.  First, this band was Lily Evans and Sara Coleman's band!  He had dated Lily for most of his seventh year, the longest relationship he had ever had.  She hadn't been that beautiful then, she was pretty, smart and kind, but not beautiful.  Now she was beyond words.  She did something with her hair to flatter her face and her whole appearance was radiating.  Sara had improved too, she was more beautiful than she was at school and had grown her hair long.

     He had listened, captivated, and watched as the girls performed.  At one point, Lily picked up a violin and did a solo.  Suddenly, in between songs as the muggle girl was announcing the next song, Lily spotted him.  James could see her heart break again through the pain in her eyes.  It was the same look that he had gotten when he had dumped her.

_Flash Back:_

_"Ummm, look Lily, I think that because we are going to be leaving school and everything…"  The seventh year James looked uncomfortable talking to his five month girlfriend and was having a hard time telling her what he wanted.  But she had already seen it coming.  She had known that he would move on, that they wouldn't last forever, but she had loved him any way, with out fail._

_"Errrr, I don't think that we should see each other any more.  It'll be hard to keep a relationship when we are doing totally separate things.  We could still be friends…"  Lame, he thought.  Too late now.  He looked into her eyes and found them bright, but no tears were coming.  She was that hurt.  It looked as if she couldn't trust herself to speak, just nodded and kissed his cheek.  She lifted her hand in a wave and left.  As she walked off, she lifted one hand to wipe a single tear from her cheek.  They had never seen each other again._

She picked the mike and began sing the song with such emotion that there were tears in her eyes.  James shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

_Never thought I'd be in this place_

_It's someone else's life I'm living._

_Wish I were living a lie._

_The hardest part is when the bough breaks,_

_Falling down and then forgiving._

_You didn't kiss me good bye._

_I'm choking on the words I didn't get to say,_

_And pray I get the chance one day._

_I still run, I still swing open the door,_

_I still think, you'll be there like before._

_Doesn't every body out there know to never come 'round?_

_Some things a heart won't listen too._

_I'm still holding out for you._

     James felt as thought Lily was singing that song right to him, and she probably was.  The words were like barbs, shooting through him.  He realized the extent of the damage done when he broke off their relationship.

_I can hear you smile in the dark,_

_I can even feel you breathing,_

_But daylight chases the ghosts._

_I see your coat and I fall apart_

_To the hints of you I'm clinging,_

_Now's when I need them most._

_I should get up, dry my eyes and move ahead,_

_At least that's what you would have said…_

_Faithfully I trace your name while you sleep_

_It's the only true comfort I feel._

_I still run, I still swing open the door,_

_I still think that you'll be there like before._

_Holding out…_

_Still holding out for you._

     The song ended and the last phrase echoed out at him.  Lily lifted a hand a wiped the tears from her eyes and moved on to the next song.  James didn't hear what it was.  He was too absorbed in his thoughts.  He stayed that way until the concert was over.  A passerby bumped into him, jerking him out of his thoughts.  "You know that really sad song?  The one when she cried?  It was like she was singing it to a guy in the back row."  James smiled at the ironic fact of the comment.

     He looked towards the stage and saw the trio of girls laughing at a comment made by someone who had gone up to talk to them.  He slowly made his way across the room and waited until the girls had finished talking.  Finally they stopped and he walked up to the trio putting away their instruments.

     "Hey, girls, good concert." James said, and got smiles in return.  "Umm, I just wanted to invite you three dazzling women to dinner tomorrow night.  As a celebration for tonight's concert."  Sarah and Molly glanced at Lilly who was putting her violin away.  She straightened up and smiled, feeling her stomach flip as she looked at the man she was still in love with.  "Sure, that would be great."  A sly look passed between her two friends.

     "Actually," Sara started, "I can't go because of my mom's surprise birthday party is that night and I need to be there."  She tried to pout and failed horribly.  "I would _love _to go, but I just can't."  That earned her a glare from Lily.

     "I would love to go."  Molly said, her curly hair bouncing with the movement of her head.  "But I have to leave a little early to help my dad with an music lesson that I promised to help him with."

     Lily spelled a word in sign language behind her back that cannot be repeated (for all of you people with virgin eyes and minds…).  Her friends just laughed and finished packing.

     "Great.  Ummm, will you two meet me at the Red Owl at around 7ish?  Dinner's on me."  He grinned as their eyes widened at the name of the restaurant.  The Red Owl was a really fancy restaurant that cost a pretty penny.  But one of his best friends worked as a cook and gave him a deal on dinner if he helped out in the kitchens from time to time.

     "I'll see you tomorrow then?"  He asked and got head bobs in return.  They chorused their good byes and he walked out of the pub.

     As soon as he was gone, Lily turned on her two smirking friends.

     "What was that?  Are you _trying_ to set me up with James Potter?"  Her green eyes flashed with annoyance.

     "Of _course_ not, Lily dearest.  Where ever did you get such a crazy notion like that?"  Sara asked in fake innocence.  Lily snorted in reply.

     "The only reason why I said I would go is because I thought that both of you were coming with me!"

     "I'm going with you!" Molly cried, indignant.

     "Yes, you are, but you got out of a good portion of it."  She sighed.  "I'm sorry.  It's just a little nerve racking when you are going out to dinner with your ex-boyfriend."  She sighed again, her fingers twirling a red tendril of hair.

     Sara and Molly hugged her and they gathered the stuff and left the pub.

     "What am I going to wear?"

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      When the next day came, Molly flew over to Lily's house on a broomstick.  (Muggles can use magical objects so Molly can fly.)  The two of them raided Lily's closet and found nothing that she could wear that they liked.  Molly already had a deep purple dress that she was going to wear and so she went with Lilly to go shopping for a new dress.  They tried various muggle stores, then some wizarding and found absolutely nothing.  Wrong color, wrong cut, too short, too expensive.  Finally they drudged into a tiny wizarding shop in the middle of only-God-knows-where.  They flipped through the racks and then a lady came out to help them.  She listened as they told her what they were looking for and then began to shuffle around in the very back of the store.  She had to charm all of the dust off of the boxes while she worked and occasionally pushed her wild black hair behind her ears.  She smiled and pulled out a dress from the bottom of a box.  She charmed the wrinkles out and held it out.  It was a beautiful deep green that matched Lily's eyes.  It was velvet like material and had no sleeves, with the straps falling off the shoulders.  The neckline was low, but still modest and it looked fairly long.

     Lily tried it on and discovered that it was floor length, and fit perfectly.  She stood out for the girls to see her.  Molly declared it amazing and the lady nodded vigorously in agreement.  Lily went back into the dressing room and changed and then paid for the dress.  They thanked her and she said it was nothing and shooed them out of the shop.

     They returned to Lily's house at around 4:30.  Molly flew home to get ready and Lily drew a bath.  She soaked for a while until she nearly turned into a prune and then dried and put on her dress.  She had the hardest time doing her hair.  After a half hour, she finally decided to pin the red curls in a circle on the back her head and was quite impressed with the result.  She applied a little make up and glanced at the clock.  6:45 and time to go.  Knowing Molly would get a ride from her mom, Lily apparated in front of the Red Owl.  She was early so she strolled around the gardens next to the restaurant.  She discovered that they had their own vegetable and spice gardens, increasing her opinion of the restaurant.  As she passed through the rows of roses, she felt the sudden urge to run wild.  Leaving her shoes behind and hitching up her dress, she took off.  She returned after a few minutes, slightly panting and charmed her feet clean to put back on her shoes.  She strolled back to the front of the restaurant and met James who was shaking with laughter.

     "What's so funny?"  She asked even though she already knew the answer.  The image of her running through the rows of roses barefoot and in velvet dress shot through her head.

     She was right.  She grinned too and walked back to a row of white roses.  She plucked one and snapped off all of the thorns.  She held it as she got her first good look at the man in front of her.  He was wearing a tux and his hair was as unruly as ever.  James' jet-black hair always stuck up in the back and it looks as though he never brushed it.  Lily had always loved his hair and now was no exception.  

      James fully composed himself and watched as Lily snapped of most of the stem and put the rose into his breast pocket.  He held his breath as he did it and when she finished perfecting it, he grabbed her hand and raised it to his lips. 

     "Thank you, fair lady."  He said.  She slightly blushed and tugged her hand away.  "It adds a nice touch."  She commented with a smile.

     Molly walked up with a smile and asked, "Should we go in?"

     James grinned sheepishly and held the door open for his two guests.  They were lead to the dining room where they were seated at a four person table.  A band played in one corner and there was a space cleared for dancing, though no one was out there yet.  They looked over the menu, Lily trying to calculate which appetizers and entrées would be the least expensive, for only James had the prices on his menu.  The waiter took their order and them left the trio to try and come up with something to talk about.  Molly helped smooth things over by breaking the ice and cracking some jokes.  They relaxed, and started to talk about anything from the Ministry to the Quidditch Cup which was going to be held in France that year.  The appetizers came and they finished them off and ordered their entrée.  Molly had to leave after that, thanking James profusely for the wonderful meal and made a grand exit while the band began to start up.  Lily watched as some of the diners get up and dance.  She and James finished their meal, only interrupted by Remus, who worked in the Kitchen, stopping in to say hello.  

     "Would you like to dance, milady?"  James asked as their dishes were cleared away.  "Of course, kind sir." was her answer and James swept her onto the dance floor.  They both were rusty dancers, having not danced since Hogwarts held a class, but they recovered from their stumbles and eventually danced for an hour.  They finally left at 10 p.m. and walked through the gardens beside the Red Owl.  James ventured his hand towards Lily's and caught her hand.

     "Lily, I want to tell you something."  James started, but Lily got there first.  "James, if you are coming back, it has to be for real.  And final, I can't keep breaking my heart over you.  I can't be a fling either, so you have to make a commitment.  Forever or never."  She took a deep breath, pulled her hand from his and turned to face him full on.  James stared off into space, deep in thought.  Suddenly he smiled and leaned forward to wrap his arms around her.  "Forever, darling.  Forever and ever."  Lily's face broke into a huge grin and James kissed her.

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     When James went home, he immediately started making a mental list.  _House, parents, hmmmm both sets, friends, ahh, and the ring._  He gave a dreamy sigh and changed for bed.  _Tommorow will be a busy day._

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     "I now pronounce you man and wife!  James, you may now kiss the bride."  The pastor smiled as James delicately lifted Lily's veil and kissed her as the guests cheered.  They walked down the isle and mingled for a bit and then made their way down to the reception room.  There a band had been setting up and food placed buffet style on long tables.  James grabbed a microphone and introduced the band.  "This is the band where everything started, if not for them, you would not see us here today.  May I present the Red Roses!"


End file.
